Hiding Fire
by AntsOnFire
Summary: Jon Snow, a private investigator working at Nights Watch Protective Services, has just been given his toughest assignment yet. Ygritte, the key witness in a high profile murder case, requires round the clock protection for the duration of the case. Tasked with keeping her safe, Jon must reign in Ygritte's wild side whilst trying to keep himself from getting too close to her.
1. Chapter 1

Jon Snow paced around the small office of his commanding agent at Nights Watch Protective Services, wondering what the urgent assignment was that he'd been called in for at 2 o'clock in the morning. His last case only ended the previous day, and standard protocol states that all agents must have a minimum 48 hours before starting their next job, time that Jon desperately needed after the gruelling week-long stakeout that he'd just completed.

Sighing, he stopped his pacing and took a moment to run a hand through the rough black curls on his head, a silent reminder for his commanding agent that he hadn't had a chance to get some much needed rest. Jon mused that the dark stubble covering his jaw and the drawn out look in his eyes would probably have sufficed, but then he remembered that the commander wasn't known for his ability to pick up on subtlety, so the worse he looked the more chance he had of making his point.

He knew he should be thankful really, Mance Rayder was one of the more obliging men that he had worked for during his career, and what he sometimes lacked in compassion towards his men he more than made up for in his drive to make the Night's Watch the most trusted private investigators and protection agents in the field. Jon loved the work, and as much as he grumbled about the long hours and the inability to live a normal life, that said more about his own tendencies towards gloom than it did about the job.

Mance came charging into the room moments later, a standard issue case folder tucked under his arm. Jon noted that this particular folder was labeled in red, a colour code reserved for only the most important jobs. All thoughts of the sleep he was missing out on disappeared as he switched into gear and awaited Mance's briefing, feeling somewhat pleased that this high-level case was being assigned to him.

"Rough night, Snow?" barked Mance by way of greeting, knowing full well that he was the cause of Jon's less-than-fresh appearance. He took a seat behind his desk and quickly flicked through the case file, not waiting for Jon's response before launching into the detail of the assignment. "Ygritte Grey, 25-year-old key witness in the Eastwatch murder trial. She saw the whole thing, the suspect saw her, and now she's yours to look after until the trial."

The Eastwatch murder case had been all over the news for the past month. Seven dismembered bodies were found in an old warehouse in a small shipping port outside of the city, the motive was unclear and so far there'd only been one arrest. Police were confident that the suspect had worked alone, and the matter quickly proceeded to trial. Jon vaguely recalled hearing mention of a possible witness, but the newspapers never reported on that any further.

"Who's been looking after her until now?" Jon asked, fearing that the young woman might have been going it alone due to the incompetent work of the local police.

Mance handed him the file before answering, wanting Jon to start acquainting himself with the details.

"She's been staying with her father, big hulk of a man. Thinks he knows best how to protect her, wouldn't let the cops take her in," Mance paused, considering his next statement before continuing. "That was until earlier tonight, one of the suspect's guys broke into their place and tried to drag the girl out the window. The father came in just in time and scared the guy off. The girl held her own too, damn near scratching the guy's eye out before he knicked off. After that even the cops agreed that more specialized help was required. So now the job goes to you."

From the way he spoke Jon knew that Mance was secretly pleased that the police had come to him, knowing that it further cemented the agency's position as the best in the game. He continued to flip through the file, familiarizing himself with the details of the case and whilst making a mental list of the things that needed to be immediately put into place.

His silent planning came to an abrupt halt when he turned the next page of the file and saw a picture of the young woman whose safety was now in his hands. It was her eyes that found him first, their quiet defiance already challenging him even without being in the room. She didn't look like the type of woman who would succumb to being protected very easily, her fiery hair seeming to be testament to that fact. She looked as though she was more than capable of looking after herself, and Jon got a sense from her picture that she made sure most people knew that about her too. He found himself studying the picture more closely than he usually would, a fact that didn't seem to go unnoticed by Mance.

"She's a looker, isn't she?" Mance drawled while eyeing Jon from across the table. "Just make sure you keep your hands to yourself with this one, can't afford to have anything compromise the case. This will be a big win for us if we can safely get her to that witness stand." His jovial tone only vaguely hid the threat that lay behind it, for it was a very clear rule within the agency that there was a strict no fraternization policy between the agents and those under their protection. It was a rule that Mance had put in place many years ago when he realized that in cases such as this, where the agent would be spending long hours with the client, even living with them in some circumstances, could lead to messy situations and a misguided sense of closeness born out of constant proximity.

"You don't have to remind me," Jon scoffed at Mance's suggestion. Keeping a professional distance from his clients had never been a problem in the past, and he didn't intend to start breaking the rules now. Sure, this Ygritte was intriguing and he genuinely wanted to protect her from the suspect in question, but there was nothing beyond that in Jon's mind. She was young and attractive, but there was no need for her to be any different.

Jon prided himself on his devotion to his job, and he fully understood the trust that clients were placing in him, and did his best to never betray that. If anything, his colleagues would probably accuse him of being overly sensitive to the matter, to the point where he didn't form any relationship at all with his clients, not even a polite one. Just yesterday Sam, the closest thing to a friend that Jon had apart from his brother Robb, insisted on schooling Jon in what he considered to be basic manners. Sam was of the belief that the more comfortable a client felt around you, the more likely they were to have a good outcome, and he felt it was his duty to humanize Jon and bring his conversation skills out of the dark ages.

Jon snapped the file shut and looked up at Mance, a sense of purpose and an alarming desire to get this woman under the right sort of protection overcoming him. It unsettled him slightly, but he told himself it must just be the result of Sam's preaching yesterday. Either way he was keen to get things moving.

"When do we get started?"

"She should be here any minute, the local cops picked her up about ten minutes ago. I've already had the team arrange a safe house for you move her to, and you're under orders to lay low for the next few days." Mance stood and retrieved some items from the cabinet behind his desk, and handing them to Jon he continued, "Here's a new secure phone, alarm details for the apartment and the numbers for the backup agents on the case. You'll need to keep her indoors until we get in touch with you. You know the drill, the first few days are about making the accused think she's done a runner. We want them to think their little stunt tonight scared her off."

For a moment Jon thought back to the photo of the girl and wondered just how difficult it was going to be to keep her confined to the apartment. Her striking looks would certainly mean that she would be easy to spot once she was allowed to resume normal activities, and Jon made a mental note to get in touch with Gilly to see about toning down her look. It unnerved him when he felt a pang of sadness at the thought of converting her vibrant copper hair into something much more ordinary, but he pushed these thoughts away and told himself to concentrate on the case.

The man accused of the murders witnessed by Ygritte was already turning out to be a pure deviant with a long list of prior offences. After a brief read through the file Jon got a sense that this man wasn't the type to just sit back and let a witness condemn him. There was a reason why the local cops weren't taking any more chances with this one, and he felt that this case was going to be one of his toughest. The desire to see this woman safely through the trial was growing stronger by the minute and Jon was yet to even get her into his care. He briefly wondered if this case was striking too close to home, with Jon losing his own father in similar circumstances when he was still a young boy. He told himself that must be the reason for the connection that he already felt for Ygritte, and mentally chastised himself for letting the past get the better of him.

The sooner they brought the woman in so he could begin going through the initiation process the better, Jon thought. Once he heard her story he would surely be able to separate his own feelings about his past from the job that he had to do.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening behind him, prompting him to turn and look at the woman being led in by the officer. His eyes immediately locked with Ygritte's, and everything that Jon thought he saw in the photograph was there, and more. He saw that she was spirited and fiery, and that she was probably used to getting her own way. Most of all though, Jon saw the fear that she thought she was doing such a good job of hiding, and he immediately knew that this was going to be the first time in his career that he was going to have to hide some feelings of his own.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Ygritte Grey, this is Jon Snow. Get used to the look of him because you two are going to be spending so much time together you may as well be tethered to him!" Mance addressed Ygritte in as close to a pleasant greeting as he was want to offer.

Ygritte took a step towards Jon, attempting to size him up and come across as somewhat intimidating, although in Jon's mind she was anything but. She stared at him long and hard, and after a moment or two she gave a small nod and extended her hand out to him.

"Nice to meet you, Jon. Don't be offended when I say spending time with you is that last thing on earth I want to do. I don't need anyone's help, I'm doing just fine on my own, thank you very much."

Jon gave a small smirk as he shook Ygritte's hand and said, "If you're managing so well on your own, why did one of the suspects henchmen nearly drag you out your bedroom window earlier tonight?" He'd been prepared for this type of reaction from her, in fact he would have been disappointed if she hadn't put up at least some fight. Most people in these sorts of situations are happy to admit that they need the help, and they take comfort in the fact that someone is there to keep them safe. Ygritte wasn't like everyone else though, and Jon was already enjoying that fact much more than he should.

"He didn't come close to dragging me away, I nearly had him pinned when my crazy father Tormund burst in and started throwing his weight around," Ygritte replied indignantly. She wasn't about to let this bunch of men tell her how to live her life for the next three months, but seeing the inevitability of having Jon around to keep an eye on her in at least some capacity she figured it was worth making a stand early on. She wasn't some delicate flower who was going to swoon at the sight of blood. She could hold her own and Jon Snow needed to know that.

"I'll agree to this arrangement that seems to have been put in place without my consent on one condition," Ygritte continued, looking only at Jon as she spoke.

"And what would that be?" he asked somewhat hesitantly. This isn't the way these initial meetings usually go. Generally the client sits down and eagerly accepts the plan that the agent puts in place, nodding along and quite happily handing over control to the Nights Watch system. Jon realized that he shouldn't even be allowing the conversation to go down this path, but if he was intrigued with a mere photograph of Ygritte, he was close to mesmerized by her in the flesh.

"If you're going to be trailing after me and watching my every move, then I still want to live my normal life. If you're as good at your job as they say you are then it shouldn't matter where I go or what I do," she finished, enjoying the fact that she was leaving him in the position of either acceding to her request or admitting that he wasn't as good as he claims to be. Ygritte was starting to think that the coming months might not be as terrible as she'd been imaging on the ride over here. She could have some fun with this boy, of that she was sure.

"I can tell you right now that going about your normal routine is quite possibly the worst thing you could do at this point. That's where they'll be looking for you, and my clients generally stay alive because they listen to me when I tell them to stay as far away from their everyday lives as they can."

"Well maybe that's because you're used to looking after boring old housewives who're trying to screw their cheating husbands out of all their cash. I have a life, and I want to keep on living it," Ygritte responded. She was enjoying tormenting this poor boy so much that she almost missed the smirk in his eyes, letting her know that he was relishing this just as mush as she.

"Ygritte, I know you're probably feeling scared right no-"

"You know nothing, Jon Snow," Ygritte cut him off before he could finish. "I'm not scared, I just want to be able to live my life. I didn't ask to see that crazy man chopping up those poor people, so why should give up everything I want to do because of him?" She may have been enjoying the game so far, but she was not about to let Jon think that she was weak. This wasn't about fear; it was about the right to live freely.

"I do know some things, Ygritte. I know that you need me, and I'm not saying that as an insult, I'm just stating a fact. You've never been in this position before and you don't know the best way to avoid these men getting their hands on you." Jon finished as earnestly as he could. He really did want to help her, and this heated exchange had only further cemented his desire to get her through this.

"You don't know what sort of positions I've been in, Jon Snow, or whose hands I've had on me."

The mischievous glint in her eye let Jon know that this was her way of saying she would accept his help, although that didn't mean that he wouldn't still be expecting her to put up a fight along the way. A compromise seemed like the only way to go from here.

"Alright, Ygritte, here's the offer. You can go about your normal activities, as long as they're approved by me first, and so long as they don't put you at any further risk than what you're already facing. That means you will be discreet when out in public, you will follow my orders, and trust me when I say that if I'm giving you an order, there's a damn good reason for it. You may not be scared, but you are at risk, like it or not," Jon did his best to impress upon her the seriousness of her situation, realizing that giving her the facts and not sugar-coating it would be the best way forward.

"And finally," Jon continued, "I'm as good as I am because I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. You can count on that."

In that moment, Ygritte knew without a doubt that he was speaking the truth.

"Okay Jon Snow, you've got yourself a deal."

This time when she extended her hand to him, he grasped it and smiled, feeling her strength as well as the trust that she was putting in him. He knew this was going to be a challenge, but he was already looking forward to it more than he had ever looked forward to a case before. Perhaps Sam was right after all; actually connecting with a client could make things run smoother, and maybe Ygritte was just the right woman to show Jon how to enjoy this unexplored side of his work.

With the formalities now out of the way, Mance insisted that Jon get Ygritte to the safe house before dawn, informing him that everything was set up and ready to go. The kitchen had been stocked, the furniture was set up and the security system was operational.

At the mention of the kitchen being stocked, Ygritte made it known that she wasn't prepared to spend the next three months cooking for Jon, and that she'd rather starve than become some 'bloody housewife'.

"You should know that I'm more than capable of keeping us fed for as long as we need, Ygritte. I haven't had any complaints so far," Jon said, trying to convince her of his skills. The truth was, he couldn't cook to save himself, and if his client was that way inclined he would normally let them take care of all the cooking, but there was no way he was going to let Ygritte know that.

She seemed to accept his ruse, and he made a mental note to call Sam as soon as he had the chance to ask him for some of his more basic recipes. Apparently Sam excelled at all the things that Jon found lacking: cooking, manners and female relationships. He thought that maybe this assignment would give him a chance to work on all three.

Jon did his best to push that last thought out of his head as he gathered his things and readied himself to leave the building with Ygritte. The main agent and the client always carried out the initial move to the safehouse alone. The Nights Watch liked to avoid large, conspicuous convoys, instead opting for standard issue vehicles and low key lodgings.

Ygritte herself didn't have many belongings with her, the events of earlier that evening leaving little time for packing. The agency staff would provide basic toiletries and clothing directly to the house, and anything else could be ordered in for them. Jon, used to accepting assignments like this with little notice, kept a bag of basic clothing and supplies in his office.

For the first time in his career, however, Jon was suddenly conscious of his basic black attire. For some reason he thought that attribute would be something that Ygritte would pick him apart for, and his desire to avoid that struck him off guard. At that moment he didn't understand why Sam wanted him to care so much about what a client thought of him, as Jon so far wasn't enjoying the experience of being apprehensive about the impression he might give to Ygritte.

He decided that dissecting why he suddenly cared so much was something that could be dealt with at a later time, and instead turned his attention to Ygritte and setting out for the safehouse. As he ushered her down to the car park to find the vehicle he'd been assigned, Jon couldn't help but wonder what the coming months would bring.

Ygritte, on the other hand, was busy planning all the ways that she could keep herself entertained for the duration of this exile from her normal life, and almost everything that she'd dreamt up so far involved tormenting poor Jon Snow. She decided as she smiled to herself that her first request for a release from the safehouse would be a shopping trip, and she had just the place in mind…


	3. Chapter 3

The car was silent during the short ride over to the safehouse, with both Jon and Ygritte lost in their own thoughts.

Jon was working over all the things he needed to teach Ygritte to get her through the next few months without danger or detection, and he was quite certain that his usual method of sitting the client down and telling them the rules wasn't going to work with her. 'Perhaps some role play might help things along,' Jon mused, and then quickly decided against that train of thought as his mind ran it in another direction entirely. He shifted in his seat and hoped that the darkness of the car hid the faint blush that momentarily stained his cheeks.

This was new territory for Jon, having feelings that ran deeper than purely job completion. He couldn't work out what it was about Ygritte that had him thinking this way, but part of him was tempted to put it down to lack of sleep. Even then, he knew there was something more. His mind kept flashing back to the photograph of her in the file, the one that first drew him in. There was a fierceness and a strength in her eyes that defied the situation she was in, and what's more that picture had been taken after she had witnessed the murders and when she was already fully aware of the danger she was now facing. It gave him hope that she would get to the trial still as eager as she was now to put that bastard away for life. He didn't always have that same confidence in his clients, and his gut instinct usually turned out to be right.

He snuck a brief glance over at Ygritte, half expecting to see her staring him down and reading his every thought. He was getting a sense about her that she knew exactly what was going on in his head, something that both alarmed and thrilled him. All of a sudden he wished he had more experience with women like Ygritte outside of work, but those things had never been his strong suit. He went from a moody young teenager straight into the professional world, skipping past the rebellious and carefree years that those his age would normally have indulged in. He'd never been one for serious relationships, and he couldn't even remember the last woman he spoke to outside of the agency that wasn't his sister Arya. Maybe she could help him make sense of all this, her compete lack of tact when it came to commenting on Jon's life was a trait that normally bothered him, but might come in handy right now.

Ygritte had her eyes closed and her head leant back against the seat, looking calm and rested. Her breathing was gentle and even, and just as Jon began to think that he was probably staring at her in a way that agents shouldn't be looking at their clients, she opened her clear blue eyes and gave him a small smile.

"Shouldn't you be watching where we're going instead of gawking at me, Jon Snow?" She asked sleepily. "I don't want to crash and die before we even get to the bloody house."

His eyes back on the road, Jon smiled. "I know how to drive, Ygritte, and I'll get us there in one piece. I told you, I'm good at what I do. You'd best remember that from now on."

He glanced back over at her to see her giving him such a look of amusement that he really wondered if she thought he was at all capable of keeping her safe. His desire to prove to her that he would do whatever it took was overwhelming, and he stared back ahead as he saw the turn off to the house approaching.

"I trust you, Jon Snow. Doesn't mean I have to like being stared at like you're trying to picture me naked all the time though," Ygritte said with a laugh. That mischievous glint was in her eyes again, and Jon was certain that she only said it because she knew he was already doing his best to specifically not think of her along those lines.

Shifting uncomfortable in his seat once again and trying to get his thoughts in order, Jon turned off the main road and headed towards the lodging that would be his home for the next three months at least. It occurred to him that he never usually referred to the safehouse as 'home' during an assignment, preferring to think of it as just a tool to keep the client safe. He knew this should have worried him, a sign that he was already deep into uncharted waters and that the safest course would be to contact Mance and arrange for a new agent to take over the case. This one needed to work out well, and if Jon couldn't get his mind into the right space he risked compromising the whole trial. Above all that though, the thought of trusting Ygritte's safety to anyone else was unthinkable to Jon, and with that in mind he took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was ahead.

Ygritte was watching closely throughout Jon's internal battle, mesmerized by the conflicting emotions that crossed his face. When she first saw him in the Nights Watch offices only hours ago, she thought he looked like someone who'd never even cracked a proper smile. And now, in the space of only a few moments, she'd seen him look surprised, determined and even tender. In that instance she wanted nothing more than to know what it was that he was thinking about that could produce such a gamut of emotions, and that desire was completely foreign to her.

Ygritte was not the type of girl to waste her time worrying about what men were thinking. In fact, she was pretty certain she knew what was going on in all men's heads most of the time. She wasn't a fool, she knew that she was attractive and that she got the attention of many men. She was used to being looked at like a thing to be conquered, and one of the real joys in her life was dispelling that view, either through a sharp look or a well-placed elbow to the groin, depending on what the situation called for.

When she caught Jon staring at her moments ago, despite her comment about him picturing her naked, the look in his eyes was something that she definitely wasn't used to seeing. A part of her hoped that the tenderness she saw on his face was directed at her, although she couldn't imagine that a man like Jon wouldn't already have girls lining up to be with him. She'd seen his type before, the pretty boys who only had to cast a scowl in the direction of a girl to have her come running. Ygritte had always despised those girls, although she couldn't ignore the small pang of jealousy that she felt when she thought of Jon with a girl that wasn't her. Pushing those thoughts aside, she turned her attention back to her plan to keep herself entertained throughout this ordeal. She figured that if she was stuck in this situation she may as well have some fun with it, and if it was at Jon's expense, so much the better.

"Alright, here we are," Jon announced as they pulled up outside a small, non-descript house. Charming was the word that automatically came to his mind, again not a phrase that he had ever used in a work setting before. It was just the typical sort of house that the Nights Watch always used. Mance believed that one of the biggest mistakes made by other firms was their tendency to put their clients up in one of the top hotels in the city, thinking that a higher lever of security must go along with the price tag. The Nights Watch opted for smaller, more discreet dwellings, preferring to blend in to an area rather than spark interest by renting out a whole floor of a five-star hotel.

Jon made his way towards to door, sifting through the pile of documents Mance had given him to find the keys and alarm code. Ygritte followed close behind, her proximity to Jon undermining her earlier statement that she wasn't afraid. Jon chose not to say anything, instead he smiled to himself and decided to keep her secret for now.

They made their way inside, Jon doing a quick sweep of the area first to ensure that they'd made it this far undetected. Happy with what he saw, he gave Ygritte some space to explore the place while he made his way into the kitchen to check in with Mance. He could hear Ygritte's footsteps as she made her way through the house, commenting on this and that under her breath. Jon could only imagine the issues she would have with the place; not because he thought that she was particularly concerned with material things, but because he knew she wouldn't let him off that easily. He smiled to himself yet again, and realized that he couldn't actually remember the last time he felt this energized at the beginning of a long assignment. Putting it down to lack of sleep once again, Jon finished his call with Mance and began checking out the contents of the kitchen, hoping he could muddle his way through a meal or two before he got a chance to speak with Sam.

Suddenly Ygritte appeared at his side and it took all Jon had not to show his surprise at her stealthy entrance. He also did his best to ignore the effect that having her so close had on him, wishing that his body didn't respond so instantly to the warmth of her presence.

"Working out what sort of fancy meals you're going to cook for me while we're here, are you?"

"I'm just making sure they've stocked up on the essentials, you never know with these guys. They've probably never cooked a day in their lives."

"Uh huh, whatever you say Jon Snow," Ygritte replied sounding like she didn't believe a word he'd said but had chosen to go easy on him.

With dawn quickly approaching and Jon in desperate need of some physical space from Ygritte, he suggested she make herself comfortable and grab a couple of hours sleep, promising her that he would stay awake and keep an eye on things. She made a weak attempt at protesting both his idea and his suggestion that she needed him to keep guard, but he could see the relief in her eyes at the thought of a good solid rest.

As she made her way through the kitchen and to the bedroom, she looked back over her shoulder and thanked Jon with a small but genuine smile.

When he heard the door close, Jon wished for a long moment that he wasn't going to be spending the next few hours alone on the couch.


End file.
